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Page 1
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Justin goes through changes and serves himself up on a platter ...
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Page 2
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Justin gets 'eaten alive' by heartbreak and decides P. Diddy is 'too friendly' ...
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Page 3
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Honoring sex, workin' it with Janet Jackson and all those romance rumors ...
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Page 4
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Justin's not-so-personal life and the Britney incident that inspired 'Gone' ...
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Page 5
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The future of 'NSYNC and the answer to the riddle ...
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Photo Gallery
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Justin Timberlake: Photos From The Interview
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Since Timberlake was already friends with Pharrell Williams and Chad Hugo of the Neptunes, who worked with 'NSYNC on "Girlfriend" from Celebrity, being in the studio with them was as much of a social as professional occasion. They could be totally honest, have a good time and, since they all had the utmost admiration for one another, there were no ego battles.
"Pharrell wanted to have a hands-on approach with me in the lyrics," Timberlake explained. "I think I have a special relationship with him. We talk like twice a week [as friends], so aside from understanding where I want to go as an artist, he understands who I am as a person. It was easy to write with him, because he knows the way I would say something."
Timberlake also had high praise for Hugo. "He's like a genius to me. He puts these touches on a song that makes it this new creation."
The Neptunes were equally thrilled to work with the 'NSYNC crooner because he gave them new avenues to explore. "Justin's album is incredible because of the amount of musicality he gave us room to bring to the project," Williams said. "It's a whole other level."
As good as the Neptunes cuts are, Timbaland's presentations are even more original and inspiring, giving J.T. a platform to explore uncharted territory through spontaneity, improvisation and experimentation.
"Tim would come in and be like, 'A'ight, what are we feelin' today?' and we'd just go from there," Justin explained. "He'd sit with headphones for about 15 minutes, and then he'd take the headphones off and unplug them out of the sequencer, and this crazy-ass beat would come out. I'm blown away every time, because you see him just sit there and punch buttons. He's like, 'You like this beat?' and I'm like, 'You kidding?!' So he tracks it and then leaves me alone for a good two to three hours, and I just sit and write and write."
With the music on Justified blazing at levels previously uncharted by 'NSYNC, Timberlake decided to turn the lyrical heat up as well, which is one reason why the album is packed with personal songs addressing romantic disillusion, rapture and everything in between.
"I think it's a really sexy record. A lot of it's about sex, but it's done in a genuine way," Timberlake said. "I don't go on the record and say, 'I'm creeping on this girl,' because that's not me."
Maybe not, but Timberlake had no problem with lines like, "It feels like something's heating up/ I'm thinking of leaving with you" ("Señorita") and "Show me how, let me work it honey/ It's just like an oven, take me now" ("[And She Said] Take Me Now"). And that's just the PG-13 stuff.
"There were actually things we had to tone down a little bit," the singer revealed. "I think sex is beautiful. I honor it in a different kind of way [than other artists do], and I don't think the things I say are disrespectful. The thing is, I've always been comfortable with them, but being in a group, there's a thought process that goes into writing a song for five different individuals. Obviously JC [Chasez] is not going to say something the same way I am going to say it, and [with 'NSYNC] what it's really about for me is having everybody in the group feel comfortable portraying the lyrics."
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Photo: Jive
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